The present invention relates generally to wood processing devices, and more particularly to such devices used to process cants into individual boards using a portable sawmill.
The process of forming individual wooden boards used principally in the construction of structures includes the basic steps of harvesting wood by cutting down trees, processing the cut tree by stripping the bark therefrom and cutting the rounded periphery of the tree into a square or rectangular cross-section (referred to in the industry as a “cant”), and using a device known as a sawmill to slice the cant into individual boards of predetermined thickness.
Large scale wood processing operations generally include permanently installed fixtures for processing the wood, typically in the form of a system of conveyors for carrying wood and various kinds of saws for cutting the wood into desired thicknesses and lengths. These assemblies are quite efficient at processing the wood, but are also quite expensive. However, while such assemblies are useful for operations that continuously process wood in the same location, they are not portable.
Small scale wood processing operations cannot typically afford the processing assemblies found in large scale operations. These operations generally include a portable sawmill due to their low cost and flexibility in processing many types of lumber. However, one type of lumber that a portable sawmill is not efficient at processing is lumber produced from a can. One solution to this specific problem is a device that be loaded on the bed of the portable sawmill which grips the cant and feeds it through the saw blade. The portable sawmill and this delivery system are functional for small scale wood processors, but are still relatively inefficient at processing cants as the operator has to load a cant on the conveyor, walk alongside the conveyor while the sawmill cuts the cant, unload the produced board and remainder of the cant at the opposite end of the conveyor, and then carry the cant back to the front of the device for further processing.
It is therefore a principal object and advantage of the present invention to provide a conveyor system that may be used in combination with a portable sawmill that improves wood processing efficiency over the state of the art.
It is another object and advantage of the present invention to provide a conveyor system that is inexpensively manufactured and affordable to typical small scale wood processing operations.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will in part be obvious, and in part appear hereinafter.